U.S./Mexico Border: May 2012

Gender, Migration and Humane Treatment in the Borderlands
This cross-cultural seminar focuses on the movement of goods and people across the Arizona/Mexico border. Given its geographic location and economic circumstances, Mexico is one obvious point of entry and source for the estimated 18,000 people trafficked into the United States each year.

Mexico is the largest source of undocumented migrants to the United States, and a major transit point for third-country migration (especially from Central America, now the second-largest source of U.S.-bound migrants). The vulnerable position of undocumented Mexicans in the United States, and the potential for intimidation and abuse by their employers, has led to significant instances of exploitation. There are economic, social, psychological and theological implications for how U.S. policy responds as well as individual members of U.S. society. Social justice challenges and humane treatment at our borders are important issues for EMU students to understand because they directly impact families and members in our local community. Students in this cross-cultural seminar will learn from people affected by challenges in the borderlands, engage public policy, reflect on the complexity of issues, and reorient towards action.